Avatar the Last Air Bender: Changes
by Krazy Knight
Summary: What happens when Katara attempts to use Spirit Water Healing on Azula's Brain? With a couple of side gags.  Part 2: Azula has Ty Lee at her mercy, what will she do? Extras: The Incident, Tea Ceremony, & Blue Spirits. May have Yuri Romance.
1. Chapter 1

Avatar: The Last Air Bender

Changes

Disclaimer: As you are probably aware, I don't own the Avatar: The Last Air Bender characters. I just wrote this as a way to get all my goofy thoughts on the series out there for fun.

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><p>Part 1<p>

Ty Lee was scared, more scared then she'd been in a long time. She knew she only had herself to blame for it. She never should have trusted Azula again. Ty Lee struggled, but it was no use. Azula had trapped her legs, past her knees under a low and very heavy wooden table and Azula was straddling her so her arms were trapped at her sides, making her unable to use any pressure points. The psychotic princess knew her too well. She closed her eyes and remembered how it had started.

When word had gotten to the village that Firelord Zuko wished to see the members of Team Avatar, Ty Lee offered to go with Suki. She wanted the chance to catch up with Mai. The life as one of the Kyoshi Warriors hadn't given her much time to spend with her old friend and Suki was more than happy to have the company on the long journey.

One of the best things Firelord Zuko had done in the year and a half that he'd been in charge of the Fire Nation was to set up ports around the world for the war balloons, now fitted to carry passengers. It would make the trip only a couple days, so that's how they decided to travel.

The Avatar and Firelord had done much to bring balance to the world, and even though not everyone was accepting or believing of the Fire Nation's current peaceful agenda, many of the younger citizens of the world were happy to give them a chance. Knowing that the current Firelord had trained the avatar in Fire Bending, helped overthrow the previous one and the Incident, also helped bring more acceptance to the change in the Fire Nation.

"Are you excited about seeing Sokka again?" Ty Lee asked as she glanced at Suki. Suki blushed slightly. Neither of them were traveling in uniform, so Suki wasn't in her make-up.

"Yes, it's been months since I've seen him. Ever since he went back to the Southern Water Tribe to help integrate some of the Northern Members, it's been such a strain on our relationship. And I know he's scheduled to spend a few months with Master Piandao for more sword training. This might be my only chance to spend time with him for a while." She sighed.

"I thought so. Sometimes I wish I had a boyfriend." Ty Lee grinned a moment. "I use to think Sokka was really cute, but that was back when we were hunting the Avatar, so I missed my chance. Oh poo." She pouted. Suki looked like she was willing to laugh, but also like she wanted to smack the girl. The two rode in silence for a while.

Toph stood in front of the dais at the Fire Palace and sighed. She didn't like the heat in the room, it affected the way she could see with her feet, since it made them sweat a lot. Firelord Zuko sat up there, in what she assumed was a regal manner, waiting for the last of the guests to arrive. Toph felt some sweat drip from her hairline. Now she understood why so many of the Fire Nation's people tended to wear such skimpy clothing. It made her miss her disguise.

"I think they're here." She stated as Katara, Aang, and Sokka rushed into the grand hall. Sokka rushed right over to where Suki was standing. Ty Lee stood next to Toph and waved at Mai next to Zuko. They gave a formal greeting before Katara spoke.

"I know you're the big bad Firelord now, but do we really have to stand in here? Some of us aren't use to cooking in our own juices." Zuko looked over at her and sighed a moment. The flames suddenly went down and he stood up.

"You're right, but it would look strange if I didn't follow the respected traditions for meeting such an important guest."

"And we really need to do that." Mai stated in her depressed manner as she followed him.

"So why did you call us here Fatherlord?" Toph asked. Zuko blinked and looked at her.

"Firelord." He stated.

"That's what I said." She added. Zuko rubbed his forehead. The Earth Bender girl tended to give him a headache.

"First I'd like everyone to follow me." He asked and lead them out of the grand hall and into one of the open air gardens. Toph could hear the others gasp as they got out there. She frowned and was about to use her feet to see what was going on, when she was picked up by someone.

"No Earth Bending at the moment." She heard Zuko say in her ear.

"Let me go." She ordered and struggled.

"Everyone I think you know where to stand." He stated as she fought against him. "Hey, that's my good ear, be careful." He complained with a slight amount of pain.

"Fine, you big jerk." She stated and stopped. She pouted a little in his arms.

"I always felt a little bad that you never got your life altering field trip with me, so I had some of the best artisans in the Fire Nation sculpt busts of everyone. I remember you saying you didn't know what anyone looked like, so I thought you could use your Earth Bending on them and get an idea what everyone looked like." He stated. "I even had them place them in wet clay to get a reverse of it, in case that worked better." He stated as he set her down. Toph raised her head to look at him surprised. "I figured when you made the sand sculpture of Ba-Sing-Se, and had the Earth King and Basco that you must have known how they looked from statues. I thought the same could work with us."

"You did that for me?" She asked. He nodded. She continued to look at him.

"If you just nodded, I hope you realize it doesn't help any." She waved her hand in front of her face.

"Oh, um yeah, sorry." He stumbled on his words a little.

"Everyone is um, standing next to their bust so you can know who it is, I guess." He added. It was sometimes strange to think this awkward teenager now ran an entire nation.

"This really is very sweet of you." Toph said with a smile, then she punched him in the arm hard enough to spin him around once.

"Oww." He complained as he caught his balance. He walked before his bust set as Toph moved a little closer to them, then used her Earth Bending abilities to see to the Earthen items in the garden. She turned towards the first one.

"I admit, I don't know what people consider attractive, but I have to say, Suki you look very cute."

"Thank you Toph." She replied. She turned a little pink.

"Ty Lee, you're absolutely adorable." She cried out. Ty Lee smiled brightly and did a back flip. She went to the next one. "Hey twinkle toes, you look pretty much how I thought you would. I wish Zuko would have done a version of you with hair though." She grinned. Aang gave her his usual huge smile. Katara was next. Toph took a moment to Earth Bend again. She seemed to be deep in thought.

"Katara, you are really beautiful." She said at last.

"Aww, thanks Toph." Katara replied as her face turned bright red.

"Zuko, what's wrong with your face?" She asked. His eye twitched a little.

"It's a scar Toph." Katara explained. "Um, maybe we should talk about it later." she added when she saw the young Fire Lords face. Next she turned to Mai.

"You seem very regal. It reminds me of my mother." Mai Just made a non committal sigh. Finally she got to Sokka.

"Wow, Sokka, is that really you?" She asked.

"Why of course it is, handsome devil ain't I?" He remarked.

"Actually, I was going to say goofy looking. I can't image how you got so many girls interested in you. My crush I understand since I'm blind and all." There were a few giggles.

"Hey, what do you mean goofy…wait did you say your crush?" He asked.

"Joking." She replied as she quickly turned to hide her face. There was one more bust in the room. Toph turned towards it and smiled.

"I don't know who that is, but she's the best looking one of all." She stated with a happy expression. Zuko rolled his eyes, while Ty Lee giggled again. Sokka seemed to be the only clueless one.

"Um Toph, that's you." He stated.

"Really? Wow, I never realized I was so much more attractive than the rest of you. It makes me wish I could see with my eyes." She added.

"You already knew that was you." Zuko stated.

"Of course." She remarked. "The Badger Moles showed me a long time ago." Sokka groaned a little while most of the other's laughed at him.

"Now, If you don't mind, I'd like to speak with Aang, Katara, and Toph." Zuko stated.

"Hey, what about me?" Sokka cried. Zuko sighed.

"I guess you can come too." He added.

"Yea." Sokka replied and jumped after the others, leaving Suki alone with Mai and Ty Lee.

"So, um, hi." Suki said awkwardly.

"Yeah, hi." Mai replied. Ty Lee did a couple of cartwheels towards Mai.

"Have you gone to see Azula at all?" She asked.

"Why would I want to do that?"

"I don't know, I just thought maybe you would."

"No, never really occurred to me. She was interesting for a while, but after she had me locked away for saving Zuko, I just don't care if I see her again."

"Oh. Do you mind if I go see her?"

"Do as you wish." Mai remarked.

"So, this is a mental hospital?" Ty Lee asked the physician who was leading her to the cell where Azula was kept.

"More or less. Although for the former princess, it's more like a prison." He stated. "She doesn't talk to too many people. But since you were one of her friends, maybe you can get her to talk."

"Um yeah, maybe, I guess." She felt nervous. She'd learned that almost no one went to see her. Zuko visited her a couple of times, but not one else did. She felt a little bad for Azula.

"Here she is. You can go in that door, but I would suggest not getting too close to the cell." Ty Lee nodded. She knew the Avatar had removed her ability to Fire Bend as he'd done to the former Firelord, but she was well aware that Azula could do a lot of damage without fire bending.

"Um, Hi Azula. I'd give you a hug, but you know, you're behind bars." She stated. Azula wore tradition prison garb, her hair had gotten longer, and she'd left it down, but it was in tangles and rather oily looking.

"Why if it isn't Ty Lee, one of the girls who betrayed me." She stated coldly as she stood up. Azula walked to the bars, her movements still regal, like she was showing off a little.

"You were about to kill Mai, I couldn't let you do it. I just sort of reacted. It seemed wrong to let you kill one of your friends."

"Friends, Friends, you two were never my friends, you BETRAYED ME!" She screamed. Ty Lee took a step back frightened for a moment of her. She even raised her arms to fend off flames that didn't actually shoot out. But for a moment she thought she saw pain in Azula's eyes. She took a deep breath though. She had something she'd wanted to say to Azula for a long time.

"I considered you to be a friend when we were younger. But then you started to get mean and nasty and abusive. YOU BETRAYED US FIRST!" She finished with a scream. It was very un Ty Lee like, which startled both her and Azula. The thing was she could see a little pained expression on Azula's face again. It didn't last long though, but she was certain it was there.

"Get out!" Azula ordered. Ty Lee shook her head sadly as she turned and left the room. The physician was right outside the door taking notes.

"That was amazing, I've never heard her speak since she's been here, even when we did tests, but you got her to yell."

"Yes, amazing." Ty Lee commented as she walked away. She found she was really bothered by her visit with Azula, especially the look in her eyes.

"It's the last sample of Spirit Water I can get for a decade, but we already tried it on Aang's foot. It healed the scar. I'm sure I can use it to heal the scar on your face." Katara said as she stood with Aang, Zuko and Mai.

"The scar was really thick and was making walking difficult, now I can dance again…see." Aang remarked as he did a little tap dance. Zuko smacked himself in the face, pulling his hand down slowly.

"Don't you ever grow up?" He asked.

"Hey, I'm still a kid. I saved the world twice now. I think I've earned a little fun." He defended himself. Katara sighed and glanced over as Ty Lee entered the garden.

"I don't hate his scar." Mai stated in her usual melancholy manner.

"Does that me she doesn't hate it or that she likes it?" Katara asked.

"I dunno." Aang shrugged. "I've never really understood her.

"Actually it means she really likes it." Ty Lee jumped into the conversation, literally doing an airborne somersault to reach them. "In fact after she first saw Prince Zuko when we started hunting him and you, she couldn't stop talking about how sexy it was."

"Don't tell them that." Zuko groaned. Mai turned away as she started to blush, but she made a sighing noise to hide it. Ty Lee turned to Zuko.

"Is there anything we can do for Azula. I went and saw her, and I feel bad for her. I think she's actually hurt, emotionally, not physically."

"My sister is sick in the head and dangerous." Zuko stated firmly. "I don't know what kind of brain damage she has, but there's nothing we can do for her." Crossed his arms as he glanced around. He stopped as he looked at Katara. "I know that look. Whatever you're think, no way, it won't work."

"I was given this vial of Spirit Water because the King of the Northern Water Tribe had a vision that I would find a use for it. Maybe this is the use, since you don't want it for your scar."

"I think there could be a better use for it." Zuko remarked.

"Let me try a little." Katara insisted.

"Please, let her." Ty Lee spoke softly. Zuko looked over at Mai for support.

"She did make things more interesting." Mai's reply made Zuko frowned.

"Fine, try a little. If it seems to work you can try more." He stated. "It's yours anyway right." Katara smiled and nodded.

"What do I owe the honor of a visit from the Firelord." Azula stated when she saw her brother enter the room with her cell.

"A new treatment." He stated. "Apparently the other's have decided they want to try and help you."

"Didn't the Avatar help enough when he stole my ability to bend?" She remained calm as she spoke. She would not allow her brother to get to her as Ty Lee had. However when Katara walked in, the anger in her eyes was more than apparent.

"Are you really sure you want to try this?" Zuko asked. Katara stood staring at Azula's hate filled eyes.

"Yes. Toph, if you would please." She asked. Toph entered and used her Earth Bending ability to trap Azula's body in a rocky prison, her head the only part exposed.

"Just what do you think you're doing Water Whore!" Azula screamed. Katara walked over to her, as Zuko opened the cell door.

"Azula, please let her try this." Ty Lee stated. Azula looked at her and frowned. She took a couple of deep breaths.

"It appears I do not have a choice." She growled.

"Actually, you do." Katara stated. "I won't do this against your will."

"And just what are you doing?"

"I can't tell you. You'll have to find out when I do it." Azula looked at her visitors. She could see a little hope in Ty Lee's eyes, which surprised her. Zuko didn't seem to care. The blind girl was well, blind, and the Water Bender looked like one of those mad scientists she'd visited before during the war effort.

"Fine, go ahead. What's the worse that could happen?"

"Hopefully we won't find out." Katara added before she pulled a little of the Spirit Water, combining it with a little of her own water. She felt the water go around Azula's head, letting it find the pores in her skin, slipped through the strands of muscle. She closed her eyes willing the spirit water to fix the problems with her head. Azula shut her eyes and clenched her teeth. Her hands were in fists, so tight her fingernails drew blood from her palms. She passed out before Katara finished.

Over a couple of days, the physicians watched Azula even closer, much like they had when she was first brought in. They reported that her actions were a little different. She was a little more social when others entered. After that, Katara spent a few more days, doing treatments to Azula. Each time Azula would pass out. Katara used all the Spirit Water after six days. That led to another problem.

What to do with Azula?

Zuko and Katara both knew she'd lost it when they'd fought, but if that problem had been taken care of, as it seemed, should they leave her locked away. She was following her father's orders, and certainly was power hungry, but had she truly done anything to deserve to be locked away? She banished people when she could have had them executed. She'd never taken anyone's life in cold blood, as far as anyone knew. Just being a selfish bitch wasn't exactly a crime.

"I may not like my sister a whole lot, but I still love her." Zuko stated. "She's done a number of mean things to me, taken advantage of me, but she has also been there for me. . . on occasion. We have about four days until the ship has been outfitted for our trip, we can let her out during the day to observe her." He suggested.

"And after that, when we've left?" Sokka asked.

"We'll discuss it with everyone then, if she's not showing signs of being wolf-bat shit crazy again." Team avatar nodded.

Azula spent that time with Ty Lee and Mai, for the most part, with occasional meeting with Firelord Zuko. It was obvious that she harbored some bad feelings towards Katara, but everyone was fine by her, including the Avatar. She did not however, go out of her way to see him. At the same time that this was going on, a few schools were doing a group field trip to the capital city.

"Is the Avatar really here?" A girl asked one of the guards. She was dressed in her school uniform, although it was modified slightly for the hotter climate. "I've always wanted to meet him." She begged.

"Sorry, but we're not suppose to let anyone in until the tour." The guard stated.

"Pretty please." She asked and fluttered her eyelashes at him. The guard sighed.

"Hey, you can let her in." Came a voice from behind him. The guard turned to see Sokka standing there. "I'll take responsibility for her." He added.

"Oh thank you so much." She cried and looked at him. "Have we met before." Sokka shrugged but grinned nevertheless. The guard let the girl in and she followed Sokka. "What's the Avatar like?" She asked excitedly.

"He's a funny kid." He remarked as they got closer. She could see a group of people standing together talking. The blue tattoo on the shaved head of one of them stood out. She was looking at the Avatar.

"I can't go any further, I'm too nervous." She stuttered. "Oh no, the firelord is with him too." She could see the headgear of the fire lord. In fact she watched as the firelord pulled out the symbol of his rank and let his hair down.

"Hey Avatar, you have a guest." Sokka yelled. The girl became pale as everyone turned to look at her. She looked at the ground, getting ready to prostrate herself.

"On Ji?" She heard a familiar voice question. She blinked. She'd had a slight crush on the boy who'd shown her how to dance, although it was apparent he already had a girlfriend when he danced with the girl who didn't go to their school, but what was he doing here.

"Kuzon?" She asked as she looked up, and right in front of her was the Avatar. But it wasn't the Avatar, it was Kuzon, but he had the Avatar's tattoos. She let out a shriek.

"What, what'd I do?" He asked in a panic.

"You're the Avatar? Wow, wow wow, that totally explained the headband!" She shouted and pointed.

"Oh, it's her." Said a girl behind the Avatar. The clothes were different, but she recognized the face. It was the girl Kuzon had danced with. She didn't seem particularly happy to see her. In fact the girl seemed jealous. She was so beautiful and she was jealous of her? That seemed impossible.

"Um, well yeah, I guess I am." Aang replied as he scratched the back of his head.

"Wow, I never would have known, Although Lee did say he saw someone Earth bend in the cavern when you disappeared after Hide brought the principal. I broke up with him after that, by the way. Jerk." She added. Katara moved closer to Aang and grabbed his arm, like she was marking her territory.

"Oh, and I've started a dance club at the school. We've been learning and teaching dances there. Would you be willing to come sometime and show us how you do it?" She asked and looked at Katara. "And you too, you were both so incredible." She added with a hint of awe.

"Really, you think so?" Katara blushed a little and warmed up to the girl. Zuko rubbed his face a little.

"I don't think I even want to know." He commented in a whisper.

"You know, we've never really danced together." Mai stated causing Zuko to jump a little.

"You want too?"

"I am still a girl your know." She added in her haunted manner.

"Hey, why don't we have a dance here?" Ty Lee cried. It was still early in the morning, and they had yet to get Azula for the day.

"Yeah, and we can invite my classmates to it!" Aang exclaimed.

"What do you mean classmates?" Zuko shouted.

"Oh, didn't I ever tell you, I went to a Fire Nation school for a few days."

"No, you didn't." Poor On Ji was standing like a startled cat-rabbit as the Avatar and the Firelord started some sort of discussion. It wasn't exactly an argument, but it was like some weird almost scary banter.

"Is that really going to be your disguise?" Katara asked when she looked at Zuko.

"I like the eye patch, and it covers up my scar." He remarked.

"I don't hate it." Mai stated as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Why do I talk to you two?" Katara asked as she left to find Aang. Mai and Zuko looked at each other and smiled. They decided that Zuko, Mai and Aang would wear disguises, while the rest would just dress in normal Fire Nation garb for the dance. Of course Aang's disguise was pretty much him wearing a hat with his old uniform. His former classmates and the rest of their school showed up on time in the Outer Courtyard of the Palace. Music was played, and this time a few of the people, led by On Ji started to dance right away.

As it turned out she had found old scrolls on dances and started a dance club at school, once it was deemed okay to do so. Allowing music and dance had been one of the first things Firelord Zuko had allowed, with some prodding from the Avatar.

The night seemed to be going without a hitch until Aang started to dance with On Ji, giving Katara a chance to rest. It was then another student showed up late. The larger boy looked very angry when he saw Aang.

"It's all your fault Kuzon!" He shouted.

"Hide, go away." On Ji stated.

"It's your fault she dumped me, now I'm going to dump you." He tossed a punch at Aang, who slipped out of the way. He tossed another one and another. Aang grinned and stayed at his back much like he had last time. Unfortunately, Hide was expecting this. Since he could fire bend, he launched a fire attack up into the air and had it come down on top of Aang.

Zuko noticed the fire fountain and rushed through the crowd, who all moved back and formed a circle. On Ji screamed in surprise and horror when Aang's hat burst into flames. Aang quickly ripped the hate from his head before it could burn him and tossed it to the floor. Hide turned laughing at him until his jaw dropped when he saw the bald head and blue arrow.

"What are you wearing?" He asked dumbly. Zuko ripped the eye patch from his face and motioned for the guards to back away. Everyone became quiet as the noticed that their former colony classmate was the avatar and was standing with the firelord.

"So, do you wish to do something about him, or should I have him locked up for a while?" Zuko asked. Aang looked to be deep in thought a moment, then made a few movements. The ground around Hide rose up trapping him.

"Sokka, can you come here a moment" Aang called. Sokka hurried and Aang whispered to him. He nodded and pulled something out of his pouch.

"Please, Please I didn't know, I'm sorry." Hide cried, tears now streaming from his eyes. Aang brightened and took a few moments to do something with what Sokka had given him. He turned with an ink stone in hand, and brush. Aang started to draw on Hide's face.

"Ta Da, how's that?" He asked. On Ji gasped and then giggled.

"You need serious help." Zuko remarked. The other students looked at Hide and laughed, their nervousness leaving.

"You realize that once that ink dries it'll take days for him to wash it off." Katara commented.

"Oh Mom, lighten up." Toph stated and then stomped the ground causing the Earth to lift Katara off the ground about ten feet.

"Toph!" She screamed as she managed to keep her balance. Toph moved over to Sokka.

"I heard him ask for your ink and brush. What did he do?" She asked. Sokka leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Twinkle toes drew that on his face?" She exclaimed in surprise.

"Ohhhh yeah." Sokka remarked.

"Are they always like this?" Azula asked Ty Lee. She had spent much of her time as a wall flower, however Ty Lee managed to get her out to dance, and even got her to dance with a couple of the boys. Of course it had been the only way for Ty Lee to get that irritated look off of Azula's face. It was just like their vacation on Ember Island. She got all the attention and Azula fumed / pouted.

"Pretty much, yeah." She replied.

"I can not believe they beat my father and I." She shook her head. "Fate really must have been against us." Ty Lee stood in stunned silence.

The dance party went on for a few hours, with Hide left trapped in the stone until it was over. On Ji gave Aang a kiss on the cheek, letting him know that if he ever broke up with the water bender she'd be there for him. Aang blushed a little, while Katara bristled being close enough to hear.

Days after the dance the ship Zuko was having outfitted for them was ready. That still left one problem.

"What are we going to do with Azula while we are on this mission?" Zuko asked. He didn't feel right about locking her up while they were gone, it would be a few weeks at least, assuming they came back at all. Mai was a little more forgiving of Azula now, but still wasn't ready to play friendly choosing to be around her as little as possible.

"Suki has suggested letting her go to Kyoshi Island with her and Ty Lee." Sokka announced.

"I don't think it's a good idea to let them be alone. We should have a master bender with them just in case she does something." Katara stated.

"Not confident in you're healing of her?" Zuko asked.

"I am but, I'd rather be cautious than sorry." She stated. They all discussed it for a while until they came to a decision.

Ty Lee smiled as she trained with Azula. Of course the other Kyoshi warriors weren't thrilled to have her on the island, but they were willing to give her a try. That's better then Ty Lee had thought would happen. She did feel a little bad for Toph though. The Earth Bender had stayed behind to help baby sit Azula, instead of going on the special mission that Firelord Zuko had put together. Not only did Toph not really have any personal issues with Azula, she herself decided she was the least needed of the others, who could possibly handle Azula if Azula went crazy again.

Ty Lee knew from a comment that Toph had made that Zuko had found information about a new continent on the other side of the world while trying to learn what happened to his mother. Toph had been so excited about bending Earth from a new place, but ultimately sacrificed that to stay with them. On the other hand Suki was glad to have Toph there. They'd spent some time together before, but out of Team Avatar, Toph was the only one Suki didn't know very well. She didn't know Zuko all that well either, but that was a different story

Azula still seemed to be doing fine and it had been more than two weeks since Katara had treated her. Azula herself had mentioned that it felt as if her head was clear for the first time in years, and that she even understood her emotions better. She still wanted to kick Zuko's ass in a fight, and had her more violent tendencies, but she reserved them for fighting. Surprisingly her attitude had improved a little. She didn't seem as bitchy as she used to.

Still, the first day on the island was going well for her. She seemed to appreciate the beauty of the island, and the peace. It reminded Ty Lee of when they had been little children, around the age of five when she first was introduced to Azula. Things were nice.

"Why am I in a boat?" Toph asked as she sat holding the edges of it. "You know I don't like being on the water like this, especially in a small wooden boat. And isn't there a sea monster?" Suki grinned a little. It was amusing to see the normally strong Toph a little upset. It gave her a slightly sick sense of joy. She pulled on the rudder of their sailboat a little to continue the circle around the island.

"The 'Sea Monster' isn't usually active at this time of the day. Besides this is the first time you've been to Kyoshi Island and I wanted you to see how beautiful it is. Just look at the site." She stated. Toph frowned a moment, then spoke with a smile.

"Oh yes the site is very beautiful." She stated. Suki turned to look at the girl with a smile then paused. She noticed that Toph was staring at her. It caused a blush to spread in her face. Was Toph telling her she was beautiful? It was so strange, but it made her a little embarrassed. Then she really looked at Toph again, mostly her eyes.

"Oh Toph, I'm so sorry." She exclaimed. "I keep forgetting your blind." She apologized.

"I really don't understand how everyone does that? Hello, I've known you all for almost two years now. I'd think it was pretty obvious by now that I can't see."

"But that's just it, it's not that obvious."

"Huh?"

"Really, it's not. You move as well as anyone else, at least on land. We forget you're blind because you don't act blind."

"Oh. Maybe I should get a stick and start hitting things with it like normal blind people, huh." She smiled remembering when she done just that with Aang's staff.

"I think if you did that, you'd hit people with it on purpose."

"Wha, Me do something like that?"

"Yes, You do something like that."

"Eh, you're probably right." She shrugged. A moment later they hit something in the sea, sending them flying into the water.

"Help, Help." Toph cried. Suki was went under the water to see what they'd hit. She smiled a little relieved. It was just the wreckage of a Fire Nation ship from the war. She probably would have seen it if she'd been paying attention to where they were going. She quickly swam to where Toph was flailing in the water. She came up under her and grabbed her.

"I've got you." She said reassuringly.

"Thank you." Toph remarked. Suki looked to see how far from shore they were. A beach was about 50 meters away. It was be easy to make it there.

"What no kiss this time?" Suki asked with a laugh.

"Ha ha ha, I thought it was Sokka who saved me. He said he was the one coming."

"I know, I know."

"But if you really want one." Toph stated. Suki turned to look at her.

"Wha. . ." Her voice was cut off as Toph kissed her, on the lips. Both girls were surprised at the situation, but neither stopped it. In fact for a moment Suki kissed her back until they sunk below the water causing Toph to panic again. Suki got her above the water and the Earth bender blew water out of her mouth.

"Um, lets not talk about this again." Toph stated.

"Um, yeah let's not." Suki replied.

"You are a surprisingly good kisser though."

"You too. I was very impressed." Suki smiled and the two laughed a little.

"You want to go to Ember Island?" Suki asked.

"Yes." Toph replied as she seemed excited. It had been more than a month since they'd brought Azula to Kyoshi Island. "I heard they updated the play we saw last time we were there."

"You were at Ember Island?" Azula asked.

"Um, yes. We were there when Zuko was training Aang to fire bend."

"However did you stay hidden there?"

"We just stayed at your parent's beach house."

"Zu Zu brought you to our beach house? He must really have been desperate for a place to hide."

"Why?"

"Last time we were there, Firelord Zuko burned a lot of his family's stuff on the beach." Ty Lee frowned a little then smiled. "But we all had a great time at a party afterwards." Azula started to laugh so hard she had tears in her eyes.

"I do not think that Chan was too happy about it though." She added.

"Oh that's right, you kissed him earlier too, didn't you?"

"What, you had a boyfriend?" Suki asked.

"No, nothing like that. He was aesthetically pleasing and strong. At the time I thought he would make a good mate for when I became firelord. His personality left much to be desired. Not to mention he was a coward." She remarked. "I had no real emotional connections with him. I did enjoy the kiss though. He was skilled, but I realize now that he is not my type."

"You still feel like you're going to be firelord?" Suki asked. Azula grinned.

"No, I figure that at some point you will be leaving the Kyoshi warriors in order to cement your relationship with the water tribe boy. He is suppose to be the next leader as I recall, which means you will be unable to stay here, if your relationship is to be permanent." Suki turned a little red as Azula spoke. Her and Sokka had discussed it plenty of times in the past and Azula was right.

"What does that have to do with you not being firelord?" Toph asked.

"I was getting to that. I will take over as leader of the Kyohsi warriors when that happens." She stated and posed. For a moment it wasn't hard to image flames behind her.

"Now wait a moment, what makes you think you'll be the leader. I was planning on being the leader when Suki left." Ty Lee exclaimed.

"I would be the most natural choice. I do have leadership skills already." Azula stated. She stood relaxed.

"Leadership skills? Leadership Skills?" Ty Lee cried. "You're leadership skills all center around bullying people to do what you want them to do!"

"But it did work." Azula finished. Ty Lee just stared at her.

"I cannot believe you just said that."

"I remember a time when you use to be quiet about things like that."

"That's because I was afraid you'd kill me if I spoke up!" Ty Lee yelled. It was so rare for Ty Lee to actually yell that it stopped all of them. Azula actually looked hurt. Ty Lee looked as if she was ready to turn around, but she still had that slight paranoia from the days she traveled with Azula, and didn't want to have her back to the girl.

"I, I don't know what to say." Azula finally managed at last. "I suppose I should have realized it earlier, but I was not thinking about anyone but myself back then." She finished.

"Is that an apology?" Ty Lee asked.

"It is an explanation." She replied. Ty Lee made a "hmph" noise and walked away. Azula just stood there again, not sure what to do for a moment before she too walked away.

"Did they even realize I was standing right here?" Suki asked.

"So, how about that trip to Ember Island?" Toph stated ignoring Suki's comment. "I want to hear the updated play."

"I'll get a boat ready to get to the mainland and we can get passage on a balloon."

"I hope you're not planning on piloting the boat yourself." Toph added. Suki growled at her.

It took two days to travel from Kyoshi Island to Ember Island by way of balloon. During that time, Ty Lee and Azula seemed to have either made up or got over their argument. In truth Ty Lee had gotten over the argument since she did notice how hurt Azula had been. She shouldn't have been expecting the princess to suddenly act different and understand the little details of what she'd done in the past that were inconsiderate.

After landing at the balloon port, the group, dressed in fire nation garb, took a ferry to the island. Toph preferred the Fire Nation Ferry over the Kyoshi Island boats, since they were metal and she could feel through it as well as bend it. The ferry wasn't the same as Earth, but it was better than wood.

"Isn't that Chan there?" Ty Lee noted as they walked towards the Firelord's summer home.

"I believe it is." Azula noted.

"Who's Chan?" Suki asked.

"The boy Azula kissed."

"Ohhhhhh." Suki grinned. "Are you happy to see him again?" Azula shrugged.

"Actually I should speak with him." She stated and walked over towards him. "Chan, I wish to speak with you." She stated. The muscular boy turned towards her, slowly. He took one good look at Azula and screamed like a little girl, turning to run. Toph reacted quickly without thinking about it. She stomped on the ground and shot an Earth wall up in front of him. Chan ran right into it and fell backwards.

"I have been told I should learn to apologize for certain things I have done." Azula stated as she crouched down by his head. She ignored the small trickle of blood from his nose. "I believe my brother and I over reacted after your party, and I would like to offer you an apology for the damage done. It was a very nice party and I thank you for inviting us in the first place." She finished and stood up. Her companions just looked at her, except Ty Lee.

"Sorry about the chandeliers." Ty Lee stated happily and grabbed Azula's hand and dragged her off. Chan looked up at the sky.

"What did I ever do to deserve her attention?" He asked the universe.

The play had become extremely popular over the last year, since they updated it to reflect the events that ended the war. The girls ended up in the same seats Team Avatar had been in the first time much to Toph's dismay. She wanted to be on the ground where she could get a better feel for the action. On the other hand, it meant they could talk about it all they wanted.

The play started off pretty much the same as it always had, however had they added more scenes to fill in the new details. Suki had a suspicion that Sokka had given them details, because they made him look a little better and the jokes were more like his. They were still bad, just closer. The troup had done an amazing job with Sokka, Toph and Suki on the War Balloon and how they'd managed to stop the burning of the ground. It was when they got to the final battle between Zuko, Azula and Katara that things got ugly.

"Is she actually foaming at the mouth?" Suki asked in horror as they showed the bound Azula actress freaking out after Katara had defeated her. The real Azula stood up and growled. She started to move down the isle like she was going to stop the play. Ty Lee got up and grabbed her hand quickly causing her to pause. She gave it a couple of quick squeezes.

"Please Azula, take a couple of deep breaths." She whispered to her. Azula closed her eyes and did as Ty Lee requested. She refused to think of it as being told what to do, instead it was just being requested. By the time she'd opened her eyes, the final battle between her play father and the play Avatar had finished. In fact none of the group had watched it, they were all concentrating on Azula.

"I am fine." Azula grunted. "I am leaving now." She turned towards the back of the theater and went out the door. The others followed relieved.

Ty Lee was still a little worried about Azula. She seemed distant when they ate dinner that night. She wondered if all the good they had done with her had just been destroyed by one moment in a play. Up until that part she seemed to have been having a good time too. Ty Lee went to Azula's room, sliding open the door slowly peering in. The room was dark.

"Azula, are you still awake?" She asked as she entered. She made it in a couple of steps before she was grabbed and flipped onto her back. Before she could react the rug she was on was turned and pushed. She went to move her feet to realize that her legs past her knees were trapped under one of the heavy hard wood tables. Before she could get her arms up to pull herself out she felt the weight of a body on her waist, trapping her arms at her sides. A lamp was lit and Azula was the one who had her trapped. She wanted to scream but she knew no one would be able to get to her before Azula could do something.

With her heart beating rapidly she looked at the princess and gulped. Azula was smiling like an octopus-shark. She couldn't move, and she tried to struggle, but Azula just shifted to keep her from escaping. Ty Lee spoke those words she'd thought so many times when speaking to the princess.

"Please don't kill me." She whispered, begging with tears streaming from her eyes.

"On Ty Lee dear, I wouldn't just kill you." She replied bringing her hand up. Ty Lee could see a flame in Azula's hand, and realized that's how she'd lit the lamp. "I really must remember to thank that water tribe girl for giving me the ability to learn fire bending again." Ty Lee opened her mouth the scream, but it was to late. Azula cut off her scream.

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><p>Note: The whole story is done, and the rest will be posted soon. ^.~<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Avatar: The Last Air Bender**

_**Changes**_

AKA: _Azula's New Groove_

Disclaimer: As you are probably aware, I don't own the Avatar: The Last Air Bender characters. I just wrote this as a way to get all my goofy thoughts on the series out there for fun.

**Part 2**

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><p>Azula felt much better as she stood outside the family summer home stretching. A wicked grin would appear on her lips every time she thought about the evil little things she'd done last night. She wanted to practice her fire bending, but that was too dangerous with the Earth Bender and Kyoshi Warrior staying there. Azula would have to deal with them soon enough anyway. A shadow passed overhead.<p>

"Damn." She spoke when she saw the multiple legs of the sky bison above her. She could make out her brother's voice, at least she thought it was her bother's voice, but it sounded odd, it reminded her of the Water Tribe boy.

"Let me handle this. I've got street savoir faire." Zuko as Sokka spoke, then his voice went back to normal. "I've been banished from my kingdom, hunted as a traitor and in the middle of a war, and I don't think I've ever had so many people trying to kill me as I have after letting you handle things!" His voice got a little louder at the end, just below a scream. She could hear the others laughing. The noise brought out Suki and Toph.

When Appa landed Zuko was the first one off the saddle. He looked around a moment as Sokka climbed down.

"Suki!" Sokka cried and ran to her. The Kyoshi Warrior ran towards him. They appeared to be almost in slow motion as they came together and hugged before partaking in a long kiss that was ignored by everyone else.

"I've missed you so much Suki!" Sokka cried.

"And I you. Let's us never part for so long again." She spoke in a uncharacteristically girly voice.

"Where's Ty Lee?" Zuko asked. Azula grinned again like an octopus-shark.

"She's dead to the world." She replied. The Avatar jumped down and looked between the two. He could see little waves of heat on the ground the tension was so high.

"She's my wife's best friend, Azula. You had better not have hurt her." He threatened.

"Do not worry Zu Zu, she is not feeling any pain anymore." His sister replied.

"Don't mess with me Azula, or I'll, I'll…"

"You'll do what, attack me, you've never beat me before."

"I have so. How else did I become the Firelord?" He replied with a smirk, he had her, and then Azula smiled.

"Actually Zu Zu, she beat me." She stated as she pointed to Katara who had climbed down. Zuko looked at her.

"She's got a point there, Zu Zu." Katara remarked with a grin at least until she actually got a look around. Azula was acting, well she wasn't sure how Azula was acting, just that it bothered her. She understood Zuko's concern for Ty Lee.

"And really, had your wife and Ty Lee not betrayed me, I would never have had the breakdown I did that allowed that victory." She finished.

"Azula!" Zuko cried out his hands smoked a little.

"Azula, what's all the commotion out here?" Came the meek sleepy voice of Ty Lee as she stood in the doorway. Her tunic was ripped to where it hung in a nearly indecent manner. She looked around at everyone after she finished rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She let out an embarrassed shriek and jumped back behind the door.

"It appears you woke her up, Zu Zu. You should be ashamed of yourself." She smiled sweetly. "She had a long night keeping me from being upset after that disgusting little play the blind girl dragged me to."

"Sorry." Toph remarked. Ty Lee came back out to join the others after putting on a robe.

"I hear you gave up looking for mother in order to search a new mysterious continent." Azula added. Zuko glanced at Toph who didn't know he was doing it.

"Since you are blind I should inform you that my brother is giving you a dirty look right now." Azula added, enjoying the difficulty she was giving her brother.

"I, well, I might have complained a little about staying behind." She defended herself, too sleepy to really let loose as she normally would.

"If you wanted to find Mother you should have just given your favorite bounty hunter one of her things to track her with. Oh that's right Father destroyed all her items when she left, and you finished it off when you had your temper tantrum during our vacation." She could see Zuko was fuming now, trying to control his anger in front of everyone. "Of course, You could have just asked me, I have a lock of her hair still, although I suppose you would never want my help with something like that." Zuko suddenly went from fuming to confused.

"Wait, you have a lock of mom's hair?"

"Of course Zu Zu. She may have thought I was a monster, however she was still my mother." She remarked.

"I never considered you a monster Azula, I was just worried about how much you were acting like your father." A new voice came from Appa's saddle. This time it was Zuko who was smirking and Azula who looked confused. Ursa jumped off the back of the sky bison and floated to the ground, a crutch in her hand and a splint on her right ankle.

"Mother?" Azula asked. She blinked trying not to let her tears leave her eyes, however they still flowed.

"Yes, It's me." She remarked and Azula ran to her and hugged her. Zuko stared stunned by the reaction of his sister. He honestly did not believe Azula cared about their mother. She never acted like she did.

"I can't believe it, I thought Ursa was dead." Ty Lee whispered as she stood next to Toph. Toph sniffed the air and turned to Ty Lee, sniffing a little more.

"You smell a lot like Azula right now, kind of how my mom smelled after her and my father . . ." Tophs blind eyes went wide as Ty Lee quickly put her hands over the girl's mouth.

"Shhh, don't say anything, please." She begged. Toph just nodded. The group stayed at Ember Island for a few days, as Katara used her water bending to help heal Ursa's broken leg. Much to the surprise of Azula, she learned that her mother, who could not fire bend and learned to air bend. It seemed Ursa had been whisked away by Badger Moles a year after her banishment. She'd been taken underground to a place far away, the new continent that Zuko had heard of. He'd heard rumors during his search for their mother of an island where sky bison still existed. That was why he'd contacted the others. He'd learned it was a difficult journey, and knew if there was a chance that more sky bison had survived, the Avatar would want to know.

It was there they'd found Ursa, tending to a young heard of Bison with a handful of other woman. Many of whom had been taught to air bend. Ursa related a slightly embarrassing story of how she'd been unused to sky bison having a saddle and when she jumped off Appa at Kyoshi Island, she'd tripped on the side and broke her leg in the fall. However she wanted to see her daughter so badly she refused to wait there with Katara for them to retrieve Azula. She had one other tale to tell that no one had known of.

It seemed that the reason Sozin had come up with the killing of dragons as a final test for Fire Benders was because he'd seen a few attempting to help sky bison to escape the attack on the Air Temples. It was simply his way of getting revenge for what he considered a betrayal. However a couple of dragons with the help of some badger moles managed to save a little more than a dozen young sky bison.

She didn't speak of the dragons themselves, but she had first been spirited away by the Sun Temple Masters. Knowing that the last dragon was suppose to have been killed by Iroh, she felt it was best to keep their survival a secret, much the same way Zuko and Aang kept it secret, as much as they could with the friends they had.

Azula spent a great deal of time with her mother and brother. The rest of the time she spent mostly with Ty Lee, and even the others. Apparently not being insane made her a little more sociable. Zuko noted that Azula and Ty Lee had definitely gotten much closer. They seemed to have become truly close friends. He was a little bothered by how uncomfortable Ty Lee would sometimes look. He once caught her alone and asked her if Azula was threatening her in some way.

"Azula isn't doing anything mean like that." She told him, but there was still something odd about how she'd put it. He was certain that something Azula was doing was making Ty Lee nervous and maybe a little upset. That feeling only got worse after they returned to the capital city.

After nearly a month getting to know her mother again, and spending much the rest of her time with Ty Lee, Azula had a confession to make to the young Kyoshi Warrior who was still spending time on "babysitting" duty with her.

"Do not repeat what I am about to tell you." Azula stated conspiratorially. "But I do realize that the time Zu Zu spent traveling the world, with my uncle, by himself and with the Avatar has made him a far stronger person than I would ever have thought possible. I think once they allow me to be on my own, I would like to travel the world as well." She spoke the word "allow" as if it left a bad taste in her mouth.

"I'd like to go with you." Ty Lee remarked.

"I wouldn't hate that." Azula spoke, changing her voice a little.

"Was that suppose to be Mai?" Ty Lee made an ill looking face. Azula frowned but nodded.

"Besides, now that I have to relearn fire bending again, I wish to be away from here to practice it in peace." She sighed. Ty Lee nodded slightly. She could understand since she was the only one who knew that Azula could fire bend again and could tell that Azula was afraid they'd have the Avatar seal her ability away once more. She also enjoyed her time with Azula and their developing relationship The only problem was Ty Lee knew such a relationship was considered to be taboo.

On Ember Island it had been fine. They were away from others, except for "Team Avatar" and the only one of them who noticed anything was Toph. Ty Lee had spoken to the blind girl later, and she swore she would not tell anyone else about what Azula and Ty Lee had done. Now that they were back in the capital city, things were different. She wasn't as comfortable about things.

When her and Azula would go out, Azula would hold her hand, but then Ty Lee would pull it away, either to itch something, or pick something up, if it seemed like people were looking at them funny. As much as she wanted to get away from her family before, she knew that her parent's would also not approve of where her relationship with Azula had gone. She started to feel nervous about traveling across the different nations with her.

"Is something wrong?" Azula asked. Ty Lee hadn't even realized she'd pulled away from the princess again.

"It's fine, I guess I'm just a little nervous. I mean it feels wrong to keep your fire bending a secret." She lied. Azula looked at her and nodded.

A day later, Zuko had a family dinner for them. Ty Lee was also invited since she was as close to Mai and Azula as she was. They were all eating together at a low table in a traditional manner. Mai and Zuko were at opposite ends, Ursa sat to one side, while Azula and Ty Lee sat together on the other. The table itself was not too long to make it awkward, perhaps four guests could comfortably be on one side. Ty Lee frowned a little though when Azula put her hand on her thigh and stroked a little. It caused her to jump and move away a little. Azula frowned as she looked at her.

"Is something wrong?" Zuko asked a little concerned. He'd noticed many times in which Ty Lee had been uncomfortable around Azula, as had Mai. What was it his sister had over the girl's head?

"It's . . . I'm fine." She stuttered a little. Azula frowned again and closed her eyes before standing up.

"Since, I am known for forcing the issue, I will let you know for her. Ty Lee is trying to decide who she should betray, you and the others, or me." She stated. "I had been hoping to give you my surprise when you were sleeping, but I suppose now is the time." She threw a punch at Zuko, red/orange flames spreading out at him. He rolled back and countered it tossing her flame up into the air.

"Azula!" Cried both Ursa and Ty Lee"

"What do you think you're doing?" Zuko asked as she tossed more flames at him with a kick. "How can you be bending?"

"Shut up Zu Zu and fight me!" She yelled. Mai jumped up out of the way. Ty Lee sat there horrified. Ursa frowned but watched everyone with concern, but unwilling to interfere in this case. Before she could attack again, a pair of guards had come up behind her and grabbed her. She kicked again throwing more fire around wildly. Lucky it didn't hit anything flammable before going out. The guards grabbed her legs.

"Lock her in a cooler!" Zuko ordered. The guards dragged her away.

"I wasn't going to betray you." Ty Lee stated as she stood on the other side of the bars, hours later. She wore a winter coat. The cell Azula was in was kept too cold for most fire benders to do anything. Azula just looked at her.

"Sure you weren't. It was an accident that I showed you that first night."

"So what, are you saying you seduced me to keep your secret?"

"Of course. Do you really think I would act that way?" She cackled a little. "Well the secret and to get you to cooperate with me so I could earn more freedoms. I should thank you for that as well." She cackled again. Ty Lee looked at her. "And you were so easy to manipulate. It was pathetic. The way you seek attention. A kiss here, some gentle touches and you melted for me." Ty Lee was breathing hard trying not to cry. She kicked the bars hard and let out a scream before turning and running. She slammed open the door and took off down the hall.

Fire Lord Zuko walked in a few moments later with a cloth to his face, the cloth was slowly turning red with blood from his nose. Azula turned away from him, refusing to look at her brother.

"Come to gloat Zu Zu? You finally beat me."

"Actually the guards captured you, so it's still not a win for me." He remarked. Azula coughed a moment bringing her hands to her face before turning around. She looked at her brother, staring daggers at him.

"I didn't attack you back, mostly because I was surprised to see your flames."

"Yes, I know, I'm not suppose to able to fire bend. I'm sure you'll have the Avatar seal my powers again?"

"No, probably not. It didn't work the first time, but what I meant was that your flames weren't blue." He stated. Azula paused a moment as if she didn't know what he meant. "They weren't very strong, especially not for you. You also made it sound as if you wanted to use it as a sneak attack. As nasty as you have been, you generally don't use those kind of tactics. You prefer head on."

"My Zu Zu, what a detective you have become. I did not want to lose my chance, that is all. You are correct, my fire bending is not as strong as it had been."

"An honest answer, how rare." He prodded her a little. "But I don't think that's it. Most of the time you have some hidden agenda or ulterior motive. I just couldn't figure out what it was, but mother seemed to have an idea."

"Oh this should be good." Azula growled a little.

"You have feelings for Ty Lee." He stated. Azula choked, unable to speak for a moment.

"Where did she get that idea from?" She asked at last.

"The way you use to pick on her when we were kids. She said it was the way kids acted when they had crushes, like knocking her down all the time."

"I did that to everyone." She snapped back.

"That's what I said, but then she pointed out that Ty Lee was the only person you would help back up, well most of the time." He smiled. Azula narrowed her eyes.

"Fine, lets say I do have feelings for her, we both know such a thing between two women is taboo, practically forbidden."

"Are you saying that's why you let yourself be locked up? So you wouldn't have to deal with those taboo feelings?" He asked.

"Yes, it is easier to be locked up than to explain something like that to an airhead like Ty Lee." She remarked, her voice a little angry still, but mellowing a bit.

"I could see that, except I don't believe you."

"How dare you not believe me!" She screamed. "Just leave it at that, Zu Zu." She demanded.

"You've never been one to care about what others thought about you, except for dad of course, but otherwise, as long as others were weaker, their thoughts didn't concern you. I think its Ty Lee who was having the issues with your relationship." Azula glared at him. It was obvious that she didn't want to listen to this.

"Not that I agree with this kind of relationship either, but unlike father, I wouldn't punish you for it." He stated. He was right. Their father would have punished her severly for such thoughts. He would find it a sickness.

"I don't care." She remarked.

"Now that's the sister I know. You don't care about anyone but yourself right." He grinned. "It would be such a pain for you to try and have a taboo relationship after all. It's easier just to break it off." Azula seethed as her brother spoke.

"You do not know anything!" She screamed at him. She wanted to hit him but he was too far away.

"Well if you weren't doing it for yourself, that would mean you were doing it for her, and that would mean you were being selfless instead of selfish." He commented. She turned away from him. "You are being selfless here aren't you." He whispered a little surprised. "You should tell her."

"No."

"I'll tell her for you then." He turned towards the door

"No, If you say anything for her, I will, I will. . ."

"You'll what?" He asked like a smart ass.

"Please Zuko, do not say anything to her." Her voice quivered as if she were about to cry. Zuko turned back to her stunned. Azula was holding on to the bars her head down. He could see a couple of spots on the floor where it looked as if tears had fallen. He'd only seen her cry one other time, when Katara beat her, and she'd lost it. Not only did she seem to be crying, she called him by his name. It was a frightening moment for him.

"I may have hurt her now, but she will get over it and she will find a man she likes. She does not have to consider our taboo relationship. She can have children if she wants, and she will never have to look back and wonder what might have been." He could still hear the quiver in her voice but where others would have sounded like they were begging, Azula did not.

"For your attack on me, I'll keep you locked up here for a period of time, and if it so happens that time is one day longer than Ty Lee is at the capital, so be it. After that, you will be released and although I will not banish you, I think it would be best if you leave the Fire Nation for a while." Zuko stated, strength in his voice, but Azula could hear compassion. She looked up at him, after rubbing her eyes with her hands. They were a little red.

"You are sending me away but not banishing me?" She asked a little confused.

"Yes. Honestly, dinner was suppose to celebrate your freedom. After debate yesterday with Mai and Mom, I thought it was time to release you, and trust you." He stated.

"I see. Thank you Fire Lord, Zu Zu." She replied standing and placing her hands in the sign of respect.

"I can't believe you're really in love with her." He whispered.

"I can not either." She replied softly.

"You have booked me passage on a ship?" Azula asked a week later as she gathered the items she wanted to take with her. She had a medium sized pack to carry a change of clothes and other supplies with.

"You're being requested to leave, and if I had to take a ship out, then so do you." He commented with a smirk.

"Ah Zu Zu, still the child." She commented. Zuko frowned.

"Please take care of yourself.' Ursa stated from behind the fire lord. "If you need anything Azula, please let me know." Her mother, ever the proper lady stood there. Zuko frowned.

"Thank you, mother." She replied

"Just hug each other." It sounded like an order, more so than he meant it too. The pair looked at him and hugged each other. Ursa pulled him into it.

"It's so touching." Came the familiar voice of Mai. Azula looked at her. The pair didn't exactly get along, and she knew that Mai was the most against letting her loose, but she couldn't find it in herself to hold that against her.

"Enough." Zuko cried and pulled his way out.

"Mai." Azula stated as she walked over to the other girl, not sure what to say.

"Here." She replied and looked away, holding something out to Azula. It was one of her daggers. "If you try and hug me, I'll use this on you instead of just giving it to you." Her voice was dark.

"Thank you, Mai." Azula took the dagger and slipped it into her belt.

"He could have at least set me up on a larger ship." Azula complained when she saw the ship she was suppose to take. It was smaller than the one Zuko used when he'd been banished. Zuko hadn't been a passenger at the, it was his ship to use and this time she was just getting a ride. Azula went up the ramp where the captain directed her to her quarters. He informed her that it would be a few days before they reached the Earth Kingdom. She went into her room ready for a very boring trip. Almost as soon as she stepped in, she found herself on her back, with a weight on top of her.

"I hope you weren't expecting me to let you off so easily." Ty Lee spoke. Azula looked up stunned. "You're manipulations of me are over." Her voice was angry. Azula tried to say something but nothing came to mind. She was still trying to figure out how Ty Lee managed to get the drop on her.

"You hurt me, you hurt me a lot, and I'm going to make you pay for it." She added as she slipped the dagger from Azula's belt. "And you can't stop me." She slipped the dagger from the sheath and held up the blade. Azula nodded and leaned her head back exposing her neck.

"Get it over with." She stated.

"Oh, there is no way I am making this quick." Her voice was so angry, Azula couldn't believe this was the same Ty Lee she'd fallen in love with. She knew she'd hurt Ty Lee, but she didn't think it would cause her to snap like this. She closed her eyes and suddenly she felt Ty Lee's lips on her own, in a deep and passionate kiss.

"Sorry Azula, I really couldn't keep the angry act up. I really wanted to make you suffer more too." She pouted. Azula was speechless for a moment.

"I will kill Zuko."

"He didn't tell me anything." She defended quickly. "When I left your cell, I ran into you mother, literally. She dragged me back and I heard almost everything." She grinned her big Ty Lee grin. In fact Ursa really had dragged her back as well. "I don't want to find some man, I'll never feel the same way about anyone as I feel about you. I refuse to let the opinions of others keep me from being with the one I love." Azula smiled and blushed slightly.

"Fine, I accept your offer to travel with me." Azula remarked.

"Come on Azula, say it."

"Say what?"

"You know what I want to hear."

"I do?" She asked. Now that she knew Ty Lee wasn't actually going to kill her, she found no reason why she couldn't have a little more fun with her.

Fini. . .

* * *

><p><strong>Omake<strong>

_**The Incident (aka) NOT a Typical Day at the Jasmine Dragon.**_

Saki had tears in her eyes when she walked into the back room of the teashop. She was one of the newer tea servers working at the Jasmine Dragon since it popularity had increased. She tried to hide her face as she grabbed the tray of tea snacks that had been freshly made. There was a red mark on her arm. As Saki went back towards the curtain she was stopped.

"Saki, what happened?" The young man asked.

"It's nothing Lee, don't worry about it." She said softly, raising her free hand to rub away some tears.

"It doesn't look like nothing to me." He stated. Saki frowned.

"They're just a little drunk, I think. It's nothing I haven't dealt with before." She stated. Saki had worked for one of the bars in the lower ring, before the Owner of the Jasmine Dragon had hired her to work at his teashop.

"A beautiful young girl as yourself should not have to degrade herself to survive." He'd stated to her. Saki first thought he was about to make a different proposition to her, but he just offered her a job in his shop, and for that she wanted to protect the shop.

"I'll just let them do what they want. It's fine, really."

"Saki, it looks as if you were burned." Came the voice of the owner. "Are those who did it from the Fire Nation?" The old man asked.

"Yes, I think they are soldiers from the port security." She added. "It's fine really. I don't want to cause any trouble."

"Let me take those." Lee stated as he took the tray from her. She panicked a little.

"Please don't do anything rash Lee. I think they're the same guys who burned those food carts in the lower ring."

"Really. Then I should make sure I'm prepared." He added and walked over to the duel broadsword hanging on the wall. He slipped it off the hook and slipped the harness over his shoulder.

"Lee, Please." She begged. Since she was new at the shop, Saki did not know Lee's reputation. He stopped by about once a month to help out because his uncle was the owner. A lot of girls loved to come in, the first time the shop opened, because he was dark a brooding, and the scar on his face made him sexy. Then they heard he'd been there when the Fire Nation was defeated, so he was handsome, occasionally brooding, with a sexy battle scar. Best of all, he would sometimes give a show of his sword work. He even had a special second set of broadswords that could be lit up with flames for his show. He was extremely popular with the girls.

"I will be fine. Uncle, if things get hectic, could you please make certain nothing catches fire." He asked as he went through the curtain.

"Of course." The owner stated. Poor Saki looked scared and confused, with a little awe as well. At one of the tables were four members of the Fire Nation Army. Lee could see that they all had markings as Fire Benders. He frowned as he watched them harass a couple of the other female customers, all regulars he recognized. A few people were about to get up and leave when they saw him enter. They sat down to watch.

"Excuse me, I believe these are yours." He stated as he set the tray down on the table. The Fire Benders looked at him.

"Hey, what happened to the girl? She was suppose to come right back out so we could have a good time." One said.

"I'm sorry, but she will not be available to you." Lee stated.

"I do not want to be served by some ugly guy like you." Another one stated. The third looked at the fourth and whispered to him.

"Hey, remember that play at Ember Island? If the scar was on the other side, he'd look like Prince Zuko." The fourth one laughed.

"You mean Fire Lord now, don't you." They chuckled and chortled.

"I would appreciate it if you would apologize for hurting our waitress and then leave this tea house." Lee stated. The Fire Benders looked at him and laughed. The man who seemed to be the leader stood up and "accidentally" knocked the tray of tea snacks to the ground.

"Isn't the customer always in the right here?" He asked. "I can't believe how rude the service is." He stated.

"Only when the customer doesn't harass and injure the staff." Lee stated with a smile. "Now, this is your last chance to apologize and leave peacefully." He added and stepped back, his hands raised up to where the handle of his broad sword was. He smiled just a little. He had to admit, it had been a while since he'd just fought with someone and he was looking forward to this, especially four people and having to protect everyone, using only his swords. It would be a nice challenge.

"You Earth Troll, you make demands on us." He stated and pushed the table over. Lee pulled his broadsword out and split it into two halves. The lead fire bender launched a flame at him. Lee didn't dodge it as everyone expected, instead he hit it head on with his swords and caused it to dissipate. The other benders got up quickly, knocking their chairs over.

One of the girls who Lee passed by smiled as she watched. She remembered him fondly, even if their date hadn't gone well. However she squealed as a flame came at her. A sword waved in front of her face and once more the flames disappeared.

"Jin?" Lee asked.

"It's good to see you again, Lee. You seem happier lately. I guess you got back with your girlfriend?" She asked. He nodded.

"You're taking a moment in a fight to have a conversation." The lead bender exclaimed.

"I have to make sure she's all right." Lee stated. "What surprises me is you are so dishonorable to your Nation that not only do you harass tea servers, you also attack innocents. The war is over. I believe your Firelord ordered all the troops to control themselves." Lee stated anger apparent.

"He ain't here, and I doubt he cares about this little tea shop or some Earth Kingdom harlot." For just a moment it appeared as if Lee's eyes were a flame. He suddenly attacked, with no more banter or restraint, at least against the fire benders. He still made certain their attacks did not hit anyone. The owner took care of the flames that reached burnable items, with the help of Saki, who was in awe of what was happening. Lee was certainly awe inspiring.

Fire bender number three lay on the ground outside of the Jasmine Dragon as the Captain of the Squad posted there came upon him. She did not look happy. She gave him a kick in the side. He looked up at her, his face bruised, blood dripping for his mouth.

"I've told you clowns to stay out of trouble, and if you're going to cause trouble stick to the lower ring. How hard is that for you to do?"

"We...it wasn't suppose to be like this." He muttered.

"Now I'm going to have to clean up your mess, and restore the Honor of the Fire Nation." She growled at him. She opened the door and stepped in, just in time to see the leader of her misfit band crash into the wall next to her. She looked down at him. The others looked at her, already out of the fight as well, crumpled on the ground.

"I would like to apologize for what my men have done here. When I heard they came here, I planned to make certain they caused no trouble. However, I will not allow Earth Nation Tea Servers to dishonor the Great Fire Nation in this manner." She growled as she turned to look at the one who'd done this, bring a flame to her hands "You are about to face real . . . " She stopped speaking, her eyes getting wide, unable to speak.

"Face real what? Trouble, Pain?" Lee asked. She felt her heart skip a beat and she fell to her knees. Prostrating herself before him.

"Fire Lord Zuko, Please for give my impudence." She asked in a begging voice. There was a round of gasps throughout the Jasmine Dragon, the loudest came from the owner.

"You never told me that." The owner exclaimed softly.

"Isn't he your nephew?" Saki asked. The owner just gave her a big smile. Zuko frowned realizing there was no good way to keep up his front as the Earth Kingdom's Lee, and sighed softly.

"Had you only come in here and apologized, I would have accepted it, however you felt the need to continue with the bad choices your men have made." He stated. "Your men will be locked up until they can face court martial." He stated. "You will help escort them to the brig." He paused. "I will go with to make sure it's done properly." Zuko finished. The three defeated fire benders all stared at him, Finally the third one spoke.

"But his scar is on the wrong side." He whispered.

Zuko turned and glared at him. "My scar is NOT on the wrong side!"

"I went on a date with the fire lord?" Jin whispered softly in awe. Saki looked back between Zuko and the owner confused again.

It was impossible to hide the fact that the Ruler of the Fire Nation was working in a teashop in the capital of the Earth Kingdom, however the girls who all sat there, spread the story their own way. They did not want to lose the great service and view of Lee. When the girls told the story it was simply:

"Yeah, these soldiers from the Fire Nation were causing a lot of trouble around Ba Sing Se and so he went undercover, working at one of the tea shops in order to catch them. It was like one of the tales you would hear. He rescued the beautiful girl, saved the customers, and defeated the bad guys. It was inspiring."

It worked too. Lee was able to still work at his uncle's teashop and the story helped ease some of the tensions about the new direction the Fire Nation was trying to take. The one down side was that he felt the need to live up to the stories and look into other incidents as well. The one plus side was that he enjoyed cleaning up the ranks of the Fire Nation. If only a certain group of his friends would let him live it down that he liked working in the teashop, life would have been nearly perfect for the young Fire Lord.

Fin…

* * *

><p><strong>Omake 2<strong>

Epilogue

AKA: **_Tea Ceremony_**

She glanced around wearing her Earth Kingdom clothing before leaving the house. She knew she needed to be careful. One of the other rooms was obviously being used at the house, meaning at least one other person was in Ba Sing Se as well. She did not wish to be caught here doing what she was about to do. The last thing she wanted to do was explain to the others why she was doing it. She frowned and moved quickly looking for anyone she knew. She hadn't made a major effort to disguise herself, just her garb, hair and some make-up.

She made it a couple of blocks, knowing that her destination was only three more blocks away. She'd made this trip, dressed like this a number of times over the last year, but she'd never seen any sign that anyone else was at the house before. Except when they all got together, like they were doing roughly every six months. The next scheduled meet was still two months away. She was only a block and a half away without seeing anyone.

"Hey Katara, what are you doing!" Cried a familiar voice. She nearly jumped out of her skin and turned to see Aang standing on the overhang of a roof.

"Aang, what are you doing here?" She cried out as she tried to recover, her hand over her heart. "Did you follow me?"

"Not exactly. I followed you when I saw you leaving Uncle Iroh's place." The entire group had taking to calling Iroh, Uncle Iroh like Zuko did. The old man seemed to enjoy it. In fact he made sure his home was large enough to hold them all for those times they all came together. "Otherwise I'm here to see Bumi."

"Oh, well if that's all, I'm glad to see you've got something to do." She spoke a little nervously.

"Is that an apron in your hand?" He asked.

"What this? No, of course not. Why would I need an Apron." Katara held the cloth behind her back.

"You're going to help at the Jasmine Dragon, aren't you?" The Avatar smiled at her.

"Maybe I am." She grumped. "Do you have a problem with that?" She asked. Even though they were a couple now, more or less, the pair still didn't always tell each other everything.

"No, I was just there last month helping along with Zuko." He smiled.

"You were what? You never told me you were doing that."

"I know, I thought you would think it was weird that I would take a little time away from the whole balancing the world thing to serve tea."

"But it helps keep you centered, right."

"Right." The pair smiled at each other. Aang jumped down next to her and unwrapped his belt to put it over his head like a cloak and they both finished the walk. However half a block away they noticed that there was a huge crowd. In fact people were standing outside and make-shift table area drinking tea.

"What is going on here?" Katara asked. She was speaking to Aang, but someone else heard her and replied.

"Oh, a couple of new beautiful servers started last week. They're even doing a more traditional ceremony in the back room upon request." The guy stated without turning to look at her.

"I don't think we'll be able to get in from the front." Aang stated.

"Can you carry me to the back?" Katara asked. Aang nodded and unfurled his glider, He grabbed Katara and they went into the air, flying over the building towards the alley in the back. They landed gently and Katara used her key to open the alley door and enter.

"Uncle Iroh." She cried when she saw him. He looked and smiled.

"It's good to see you Katara, Avatar Aang." The old man spoke gently. She ran to him and gave him a hug

"What's going on here?"

"Oh, yes a couple of new girls started working here. They have gotten much attention."

"We noticed that outside." Aang stated as he walked towards the curtain. He glanced out into the main dinning area. He froze.

"No way." He spoke.

"What, what is it?" Katara asked concerned. She rushed to look as well.

"That can't be right." She whispered.

"It is. They are very popular."

"Well, I'm not surprised sort of. I mean she was always popular, but. . ." She couldn't finish. The pair moved back quickly and hid behind the extra curtain off to the side.

"Uncle, I need more tea for the ceremony room." A familiar voice spoke in a commanding tone.

"Of course Azula." Iroh replied. "You seem to be enjoying yourself."

"I am. I did not realize how cleansing the Tear Ceremony could be." She replied. Katara and Aang both glanced at her. She wore a Fire Nation patterned Kimono, a very classic look. Her hair was up in a traditional bun, and her make-up made her look very elegant. "I think I understand why Zu Zu sneaks away to work here now. It is very refreshing to let go of your burdens. Plus Ty Lee is really enjoying herself."

"I see you no longer get as jealous of the attention she gets."

"Why should I. I'm the one she goes home with at the end of the day. She's mine, all mine." She laughed a little, in that scary Azula way. She took the tea from Iroh and went back to the short doorway to the Tea Ceremony Room. Both Katara and Aang stood there staring through the curtain.

"She's still scary." Aang said at last.

"Very." Katara agreed.

"She does a good job though." Iroh commented with a smile. "I was surprised when she showed up here asking to work for a while, and more surprised when I found out she knew the Tea Ceremony. My brother sought to remove that tradition as it put everyone involved on equal ground, at least for the duration of it. It is a credit to my sister-in-law that she not only taught my niece the traditional ceremony but also the fire bending variation since she herself could not fire bend. It is a great addition to the Jasmine Dragon, for as long as she is here."

"I think we should check it out." Katara smiled. "I'd like to see it."

"I've seen it before. It's very beautiful when they do the fire bending with it." Aang added.

"Well, not all of us are over a hundred years old, thank you very much." Katara sniped.

"Reservations for the Tea Ceremony are about two weeks in advance." Iroh commented. "It is very popular. Perhaps my niece would be willing to do a special one after we close today."

"I'll talk her into it." Ty Lee's voice called out from the other side of the curtain. "She did say she owed you a thanks for reactivating her fire bending. Although I'm pretty sure she was being a little sarcastic at the time." She gave them one of her award winning big smiles.

Fin…

* * *

><p><em><strong>Notes:<strong>_

_Stuff I wanted to put in but couldn't find a place and was trying to avoid writing an epic….._

A conversation between Ty Lee and Azula, sometime on Ember Island:

"You no longer want to be the firelord?" Ty Lee asked a little surprised.

"No, let Zu Zu do it. Do not tell him I said anything, but it seems that he is doing a good job. Besides, if I did, I would certainly need to find a mate to have a strong heir with, and the person I am interested in is not likely to be able to produce a mate with me." Ty Lee looked at Azula and took hold of her hand smiling wide.

I also wanted to actually do a small flashback where Ursa and Zuko were talking about Azula after she was locked up. Ursa talking about all the signs that Azula was having a romantic relationship with Ty Lee and had been interested in the girl since they were children. Zuko bringing up that it wasn't normal for a girl to have that kind of relationship with another girl. Ursa would consider mentioning to Zuko to keep things in perspective that she'd spent the last five years living with only woman, but realizing that it might break him to think of his mother would do those sort of things.

Ursa having learned Air Bending, did have a sky bison partner, however she died while saving Ursa's life.

On an Island Near the "hidden" Continent is an island of cannibals. That's where Team Avatar stopped first and left it up to Sokka to handle things.

The "Hidden" Continent is hard to get to because of storms and even reefs. It's far enough away that ships generally can't support a full crew with enough supplies.

I thought about someone bringing up that as far as numbers went, Sokka Defeated the most fire nation troops when he used the war balloon to take out the other war balloons. Toph would be the next, then Suki, with Katara and Aang, tied at 1 each, and Zuko had a big ZERO.

I think the series did have enough odd moments where one could believe that Azula did have a "thing" for Ty Lee. Besides the flashback to childhood, the couple of times Azula got mad because Ty Lee was receiving all the attention from the boys, could be that she was angry that Ty Lee was giving them attention and not her. The "jealousy" could be more she was jealous of the boys not of Ty Lee... Of course she couldn't admit that.

In this branch universe I created, Azula still wants to be in control of something, even if she's decided to let Zuko have the Fire Nation. The Kyoshi Warriors for instance, but I think that she might just take over the Jasmine Dragon from Iroh later on, and run that.

The reason she started to do the Tea Ceremony is this storyline: The Master Fire Bender , the one who first trained Aang (Jeong Jeong) was at the tea house on the second night Azula and Ty Lee were there. He mentioned that he wished he could see a traditional Tea Ceremony again, the skill having been out of practice for years because of the previous Fire Lord. Azula thinks for a moment then tells him to come back the next day.

That night She takes the door off one of the store rooms, empties it out and then nails a board about 2 ½ feet from the floor, using a curtain to cover the top, nailing some more to the bottom for a curtain. All this while Ty Lee and Iroh watch confused. She grabs various items and put them in the room, not letting either of them see what she's doing. Finally the next day she leaves with a little money and buys Earth nation clothing that is similar to a more traditional Fire Nation Kimono. When the Bending Master returns, she asks him, her uncle and Ty Lee to enter where she does both the traditional Tea Ceremony and the Fire Bending variation. After a few days of an extra charge, she has her Fire Nation Kimono made, and they put in a real doorway. Iroh plans on having a true traditional Tea Ceremony house built later in the back.

Last but not least...

No one has Told Iroh that they found Ursa...

(9/10/10 Finished)

(4/7/11 Yep took me that long to get into gear and prepare to post this)

**Bonus Tale:**

**_Blue Spirits_  
><strong>

"Here you go." Zuko handed Azula a cup of tea as she sat with her legs hanging off the edge of the back porch of the home she'd inherited in the Ba Sing Se.

"Thank you." She replied as he sat next to her. "You're going to be heading back home soon?"

"Yes. Mai is expecting me back. I don't want to leave her and the kids alone for too long. I've already spent enough time helping out at the Dragon."

"I still can't believe it's been four years since Uncle passed away." She spoke softly. It had been a week since Team Avatar and the others had spent a day honoring the memory of Iroh. They decided to all get together on the anniversaries of his passing, even though Zuko, Mai, Azula, and Ty Lee also celebrated his Birthday. Zuko had even named his first son after Uncle Iroh.

"Me either. I still miss him."

"As do I." The pair was quiet for a while.

"At least I have you as my underling now, as I always expected too." Azula chimed in suddenly.

"Wait, what? How do you figure that?" Zuko asked annoyed.

"Well, since you still work at the Dragon, and I now own and run it, that makes you my underling." Before Zuko could argue, Azula continued. "And before you say you're still my Firelord, I would remind you that I am officially a member of the Earth Kingdom now, not the Fire Nation. That means you are no longer even my Firelord." She smiled, that sweet smile she had that if you looked at it long enough, you realized you were looking at a octopus-shark. Zuko could feel a headache coming on. It often happened when Azula made a logical, but annoying point. He sighed then smirked.

"I'm still your older brother though." Azula frowned as she tried to think of an argument about that.

"I suppose you are. You win Zu Zu." She spoke. Zuko grinned, but once more Azula wasn't finished. "Another first for you. Finally you get the better of me. Please hold on, while I find a prize for you." Of course she didn't bother to get up, instead she used her bare toes to pick up a shiny pebble and then handed it to him.

"Your trophy, a rare gift from a princess. Please be sure to treasure it always." Her voice was near monotone as she spoke. Zuko grit his teeth a moment. Once again he felt a small victory taken away from him by his sister. Even if she wasn't insane anymore, she was still evil.

"I was just thinking about the first time I saw you working here." Zuko spoke at last. Azula chuckled.

"I did so enjoy the look on your face."

"Oh Lee, you're here?" exclaimed Jin as she stood there holding a serving platter with two cups of tea on it.

"I wanted to surprise Uncle." He remarked and then looked at her again. "When did you start working here?"

"About a year ago. With all the trips Iroh's been going on, he thought it would be good to have someone else helping out. In fact he went to visit his friends in the club he's part of." Zuko nodded.

"Team Geezer." Azula interrupted.

"The White Lotus." Zuko stated trying not to chuckle. The unofficial name for the White Lotus was the fault of Sokka, and unfortunately it had somewhat caught on. Of course when Sokka had called them that in person, Bumi had hit him in the back of the head with a rock. That memory brought a smile to Zuko's lips.

It had been over a year since he'd stopped by the Jasmine Dragon. He'd been so busy with his duties as Firelord, and with helping out the Avatar with certain missions, he just didn't have the time. Uncle Iroh did visit him often though, even went along on some of his diplomatic missions.

"So Saki is in charge, or did Katara stop by to help out too?" He asked. The truth was, Iroh had once told Zuko that out of everyone on Team Avatar, he and Katara were the only two Iroh thought could handle running the Dragon.

"No, it's not Katara. It's one of the newer girls." She remarked.

"I wonder why Uncle didn't ask me to watch the shop then?"

"He knew you were busy."

"Where can I find the current manager then?"

"Oh, she's in the tea ceremony room. In fact we have a small party coming in shortly. If you want they have an extra space left. You could go in and watch it." She suggested. Zuko shrugged, feeling a little betrayed that Uncle Iroh hadn't asked him to watch the Dragon when he went on a vacation, and instead had someone else watch it. It should have been a family thing, or at least another member of Team Avatar. They were like a family after all.

"I'll meet with her that way. I do remember uncle telling me about the tea ceremony room." Zuko added. "I don't think I've ever seen one." In fact the Tea Ceremony room had been added on to the Jasmine Dragon, taking the place of the storage room that had originally held it. About a quarter hour later, a party of three entered and spoke with Jin. She nodded and spoke with them, and pointed towards Zuko. They nodded in return.

"You can go in with them." She announced. He gave them a slight bow and a thank you. Finally they all went inside. Zuko was somewhat annoyed that he had to get on his knees to crawl in, but Uncle Iroh had told him it had really become popular, so he was curious about it.

They were all quiet as they sat in a row next to a table. A moment later he looked up and saw a sliding door open from the other side. He looked at a bare feet under a kimono with flame patterns enter, followed by a second set of bare feet with a plan Earth Nation styled kimono entered. He looked up, impressed with the design until he saw her face. Azula was the one in the flame kimono, and Ty Lee was in the earth kingdom one. He was about to speak when Aluza looked at him and held her finger up to hush him. She glanced over at Ty lee, who was waving happily at Zuko. The look she gave the girl made her stop. Azula did not speak as she started the fire bender variation of the tea ceremony with Ty Lee assisting her.

Zuko was impressed. He couldn't believe what he watched. It had been a beautiful and elegant sight to behold. That fact that Azula preformed the ceremony made it even more shocking. When it was done and they had all enjoyed their tea, Aluza bowed low to the guests from her kneeling position and waited until they left the room. Zuko could hear the excited whispers from the others as they exited back into the main tea house.

"So what did you think of it?" Jin asked.

"It was beautiful." He stated still in shock.

"I know, right." She seemed a little giddy. "I love watching her do the fire version. Katara even came up with a water bending version of it, and Jun, one of the other girls who can do earth bending, came up with a version as well. I like the fire bending one best though.

"Oh Zu Zu, how nice to see you here." Came that all too familiar voice. Zuko turned to see Azula and Ty Lee standing there. "Or Maybe I should call you Lee Lee." She added with a smirk.

"One Lee will be perfectly fine." He stated annoyed. Jin watched a moment. She frowned. She knew Iroh had developed a fondness for Azula, but she hadn't realized that she also knew Lee, er Zuko. Not only that but a nickname too. He didn't seem very happy to see her either, although Ty Lee looked ecstatic.

"So Uncle has let you run the place when he's gone?" He asked.

"Yes, dear brother, he has." She spoke glancing at the confused Jin, she just about fell over when she heard brother.

"Does he know about you and . . ."

"Yes he does, and like mother, he is happy for me. You seem to be the only one free in our family with a problem." She added. He frowned a moment. He knew he wasn't handling this right. Why hadn't uncle told him that Azula was helping out at the Dragon. And then he realized it. It was uncle's small amount of revenge for him not telling him about Ursa being back. He waited until he and his mother went to see uncle to let him know she had been found.

"I am sorry if I am being rude." Zuko apologized suddenly. "I was surprised to see you here Azula." Now it was her turn to look stunned. Her jaw opened a bit then slamming shut as she bit back some sort of retort that had been forming.

"Apology accepted." Ty Lee cried out for Azula and gave Zuko a hug dragging Azula with her.

"Really Ty Lee this is not appropriate." Azula groaned as she was dragged into a hug. Of course only Ty Lee was hugging, the other two just looked, confused, embarrassed and annoyed.

"It really was amusing seeing your face that first time. It was certainly worth the wait." Azula commented before taking a sip of tea.

"Nearly as surprising as it was for Katara to find you traveling with Toph later." Zuko added with a slight smile. Azula and Ty Lee had stayed with Iroh for nearly a year before they started to travel again. Azula had been serious about wondering the world like Zuko had done years earlier, to see how she herself might improve her skills. It had been shortly after that time, she and Ty Lee had run into Toph. The Earth Bending Master decided to travel with them, and even guided them to some of the places Team Avatar had visited themselves, both with and without Zuko.

"Yes, the Avatar had been seeking Toph for a Team Avatar mission, when Katara found us together. She was not pleased that we had been supplementing our money with some smaller scams." Zuko laughed.

"I've seen Toph's wanted poster for her scams in the Fire Nation." He stated. "It was an interesting image of her." He remembered the evil sharp teeth she had in the grin on the artwork. He suspected Toph appreciated it, assuming someone described it to her. In fact he could easily image someone holding it out to her and demanding to know what it was, and her responding with something like, "It sounds like a sheet of paper, which is the best I can give you since I'M BLIND!"

"I can see that as well." Azula announced with a slight smile. She hated to admit it, but she was actually very fond of the Earth Bending Master. Of course Toph and Suki were the first members of Team Avatar to give her a chance after Katara's experiment with Spirit Water healing.

"You know, if it wasn't for her, I don't think they would have accepted me." Zuko announced. "It was her who was willing to listen to me when I went against father." Azula was quiet. Zuko didn't talk much about his early days with the Avatar and the others. She was surprised to hear him say anything. It made her think.

"I believe because so few people gave her a chance because of her blindness that she was willing to give others a chance." She said at last. She'd heard about Toph's family and they way they treated her because she was blind.

"I think you're right." He remarked as he finished his tea. "That does remind me though, I keep wondering why with as close as we all are as a group, we have so many stupid secrets."

"What do you mean?" Azula asked glancing over at him. Zuko fell back so he was laying with his legs hanging off.

"Well, like you working and running the Dragon, Aang and Katara working there when I'm not there, us not telling Uncle about mom. It seems like we always wait for others to find out, rather than just tell them.

"In the case of the Avatar, I think it amuses him to surprise others." She paused. "In fact, I think it's a trait many of us have in common. We like to see the stunned expressions of our friends." She finished. Zuko sat up.

"Friends, did you just call everyone friends?" He asked. Azula turned away, her cheeks heating up.

"You must have misheard me." She tried to cover for herself. "I would never call that group of fools my friends."

"You did, you called them friends, our friends. You actually like them." Zuko teased her. Azula grumbled something. "What was that?" He asked.

"Yes, fine, I do actually like them, I consider them friends, are you happy now!" She exclaimed infuriated.

"Yes, yes I am." He remarked. She sighed and lay down like Zuko had been.

"You've never gone to see father." Zuko commented. "Are you planning too?"

"Honestly, I don't know if I should. I'm afraid that if I spend time with him, everything the water whore did to me will be undone." There was no conviction behind her water whore comment. "I know I shouldn't feel that way, but I do." Zuko inwardly sighed in relief. Ursa spoke with their father every so often. She'd been trying to get him to change his views, but he would not have any of it. When she'd mentioned how Azula had changed, Ozai had gone on a rant about his daughter joining his worthless son in betrayal. That was the nicest thing he'd said. Ursa decided to not say anything about Azula's choice of a lover.

"I understand actually. Sometimes when I see him, I feel like a child again, waiting to be punished or talked down too. Maybe you have the right idea."

"I don't think he'd approve of my relationship with Ty Lee anyway."

"I believe you're right there." The pair got quiet after that.

"I've heard that a Blue Spirit has been seen around here recently." Zuko spoke softy as he laid back again turning his head to look at her.

"Really?" She asked surprised. "You still have not caught him?" She asked. The Blue Spirit at least the original one had rescued the Avatar from the Fire Nation. Then the Blue Spirit had become a thief for a while. Finally over the last few years, the Blue Spirit had been seen fighting against some of the remaining rogue Fire Nation soldiers, the ones who were still loyal to Ozai. Azula had even seen the Blue Spirit fight along side the Avatar and her brother.

"No, I have not." He remarked annoyed. She knew he wanted to get the Blue Spirit to join up with his team of guardians to finish cleaning up the remainder of Ozai's forces. Of course Zuko was having no luck.

"But this is not the same Blue Spirit. I've heard a female one has been seen over the last couple of years. She's been described as wearing a similar outfit to the original, but with a more feminine flare, and that she uses Kyoshi Warrior style face paint to hide her identity."

"Really, a girl? Is she a thief or hero?" Azula asked interested.

"Apparently a hero. She's been seen near Ba Sing Se mostly. At least within a few days worth a travel, when she hasn't been in the city."

"Interesting."

"Apparently she is some kind of magician or fire bender. She uses flaming weapons to attack her enemies."

"Are you hinting that it could be me?" She asked, raising a brow.

"Yes." He stated matter of factly.

"You've got me Zu Zu. I have been dressing up as the Blue Spirit, spending my days and nights out fighting crime and punishing rogue fire benders. That is when I'm not working at the Dragon of course." She said sarcastically. Zuko frowned.

"I just thought I should ask."

"Did you think to check with the Kyoshi Warriors in town? Perhaps they know something, or one of them might be taking her own initiative." Azula suggested looking over at him.

"I thought about it, in fact I asked Ty Lee if she could check it out for me when she gets back."

"Makes sense since she is the head of the local branch." Azula smiled. She was glad Ty Lee had decided to bring a set of Kyoshi Warriors officially to Ba Sing Se. As much as Azula loved her, working with her at the Dragon and living with her had started to drive her wolf-batty. Even traveling together sometimes got to them both. She knew she'd been grateful to Toph for joining them, but she could tell Ty Lee had as well. Their relationship did excellent when they could have some time apart.

Then again she knew it was like that for everyone, it was part of the reason Zu Zu liked to work at the Dragon, to get away from Mai and the twins. Of course Mai had started to visit them as well, sometimes with the twins, and sometimes without. Mai took great pleasure in saddling Zuko with the kids.

Mai's motherhood had done a lot to improve Azula's relationship with her as well. Mai spent the first few years avoiding being near Azula as much as possible. Slowly they started to get along again, and once she had the kids, she finally started to really get along with her. Mai actually wanted the kids to get to know their aunts. Ty Lee being the other "Aunt". Of course Azula was a good example of how someone could improve herself according to Mai.

"Are you planning on staying another night? I noticed you had your pack ready to go." Azula asked, once things were quiet for a while. "And it's getting late."

"No, I want to be home tomorrow night, so I need to leave tonight." He stated and sighed.

"You're disappointed those rogue fire benders weren't active this week aren't you?"

"A little. At least it probably means they've moved on, but then it means they are still out there." That had been the other reason Zuko had stayed as long as he head this trip. He'd gotten word that another group of fire benders in the Ozai era uniforms had been causing problems. He wanted to take care of it, but without them doing anything, he couldn't find them.

"Well I'll let you know if they show up again." Azula assured him.

"Before or after you destroy them?" He asked with a little smirk.

"Tell you what, Zu Zu, I'll only half destroy them, I'll save the other half for you." She smirked back.

"Deal."

Azula went out after seeing Zuko to the Balloon Port. She didn't think the rogues were gone yet. Something about what she'd been told didn't fit with them leaving, so she went out to see if they were going to try anything that night.

The rogues had been going after women every few days, while she'd been away, at least what she'd been told. Zuko had found out they'd been doing more than that before Iroh's Memorial, it just hadn't been reported. A day before her and Zuko had returned, they'd burned down a woman's house after having their way with her. No Azula didn't think they were gone yet, just keeping a low profile especially with the Kyoshi Warriors on the look out for them.

She stayed more towards the alleyways and shadows. A lone woman on her own would be a great target for these guys, especially one who was trying to stay hidden, but not doing a really good job of it. Of course that wasn't the only reason she was out and about.

For a few years she'd bee trying to get the attention of the Blue Spirit for Zuko. She remembered a rumor that her brother was the Blue Spirit, but since she knew Zuko wasn't strong enough to have freed the Avatar from a Fire Nation base, she dismissed that off hand. Then she saw the Blue Spirit fight along side Zuko the year before Iroh had died. It was obvious the two knew the same duel broadsword form, which must have been the reason the rumor had started. However Zuko was better than the Blue Spirit now fighting wise, at least from what she'd seen. That didn't surprise her. Zuko was at least three times a stronger fighter during their Agni Kai then the last time she'd fought him.

Azula was near the large fountain when she heard a woman cry for help. She quickly ran towards the sound and pulled out two of her fans, the blunt ones and held them ready to open as she ran. She smiled a moment. She had a total of four fans, two blunt for hitting, and two sharpened for cutting. In fact it had been Mai who'd designed and had them made for her.

Just after Mai had given birth to the twins, Azula had asked her a small favor. "I'd really like to have a set of steel fighting fans that could be thrown, made." Mai was an expert at throwing weapons, and even designed many of the one's she used herself. She suffered from a little post pardom depression, and was willing to do something interesting while she took care of the kids, but she wanted to know why Azula wanted them. Aluza told Mai her plan for getting the attention of the Blue Spirit, and it was a rare moment when she saw Mai belly laugh. Possibly the only time. Azula was about to leave when Mai stopped her and told her she would.

A few months after that, Sokka of all people was at her doorstep, taking her aside and speaking to her. He was dropping off her fans. Azula was ready to get mad at Mai for telling someone else her plan, but then Sokka showed her his modifications to the two sets of fans. It was a special cartridge system.

He'd made four sets of cartridges that could slip inside the top fan blade. Using her fire bending ability, she could set the cartridges a flame before she tossed them, and with practice he was certain she would be able to even somewhat control their flight. Sokka had been right too, surprisingly. It was the first time she'd shown any respect for the water tribe boy. He also gave her the directions and ingredient list to refill the cartridges.

The light blue set, was a blue flame that would last about 10 seconds.

The red set, was a red flame that would last 20 seconds.

The dark blue set would have a small flame but would create a lot of thick Blue smoke for 20 seconds.

The final set was green and did a thinner blue smoke for 40 seconds. All times were of course rough estimates. Sokka had done the blue as much as he could since it was to attract the Blue Spirit. He wished her luck with her endeavors and let him know when she caught him, or needed anything else.

She generally kept a dark blue cartridge in one of each type of fan, with a light blue one in the other blunt one and a red one in the sharpened one.

She heard a grunt and the woman cry out again like she was surprised. As she turned a corner she heard a male voice yell out.

"It's the Blue Spirit. Lets get him!" Azula added an extra push of speed just before she hit the road leading to the fountain. She stopped dead in her tracks as she looked over and saw the back of the Blue Spirit facing her, surrounded by six men, with one woman on the ground slightly behind and to the right of him. She had a bloody gash on her head. Four of the men were obviously Fire Benders, but two seemed to be using weapons. One had a pair of thin sword, the other a hook on a chain.

Azula tossed her blunt fan out letting it fly over the Blue Spirit before she used her bending abilities to hit it with a small flame. Dark Blue Smoke poured from the back off it. She used her bending ability to circle it around the Blue Spirit, hiding him and the woman from her attackers. The real key for her though was to get the fan aimed back towards her before the cartridge ran out. It worked a little more than half the time. A few of the men had turned to follow the fan and saw her.

"It's another Blue Spirit!" One of them yelled.

"Well, to keep track, why don't you call me Lady Spirit." She said disguising her voice, making it much deeper and deadly. All of them had their attention on her. She smiled slightly and tossed her sharpened fan. The flames erupted from the back as she slid into her fighting stance. The fan flew at the benders first, distracting them as she charged in, both blunt fans in her hands. She started to attack, keeping her eyes on her opponents. She saw the Blue Spirit out of the Corner of her eye slip out of the smoke and move the woman to safety. Azula hoped he would come back.

Not that she couldn't take care of these six herself. That would be easy enough, but she still wanted a confrontation with the Blue Spirit himself. As luck would have it, he did join in. As the fire benders started to use their flames, Azula used her own bending ability along with her fans to dissipate their attacks. It was a similar move to what the Blue Spirit was doing with his broadswords. She just wasn't sure if he was using fire bending or not. She knew from experience that it could be done without bending, it just wasn't as easy.

She took down two of the benders pretty quickly though. They had not been expecting anyone to be able to get past their bending. That was always a fatal flaw. It made her wonder if they really had been Ozai's soldiers, or if they just stole the old uniforms. She was guessing the later. The Fire Nation soldiers were taught hand-to-hand combat as well as bending.

The Blue Spirit took out the other two benders leaving just the weapon wielders, who both looked as if they were ready to wet themselves. It was obvious these two had not idea how to fight. In fact, their skin tone marked them as most likely being from the Earth Kingdom.

Azula pulled out her Bladed fan, and with a quick move and a subtle amount of fire bending, sliced through one of the swords being brandished at her.

"Surrender or Die." She spoke. The one with the sword did in fact, wet himself, Azula noted with amusement. This is what she lived for at times. A chance to once again scare the hell out of someone she was fighting. It was a wonderful stress reliever for her, when Ty Lee was not around for more adult activities.

"I, I I surrender." He stuttered. The one with the hook and chain swung at her, only to find his chain wrapping around a broadsword. The Blue Spirit yanked, pulling the young man towards him, and brought his fist up. A moment later the fool was on the ground, knocked out with a broken and bloody nose. Azula took out the cable she kept with her and used it to bind the last one conscience. The Blue spirit took some and started on the others.

When they were done, the six young men were all hanging from a nearby arch. The fire benders arms safely behind there backs. It would be difficult for someone as young as they were to get loose that way. Perhaps older more experienced benders could still use their fire to burn through the cables.

"I wish to speak with you." She announced to the Blue Spirit. He looked her over a moment.

"No." He stated. His voice was deep although not as scary sounding as hers. She smiled and attacked.

"One way or another, you will speak to me." She stated. In truth this was what she'd been waiting for. A chance to fight the legendary Blue Spirit. And it was everything she'd imagined it would be. As they jumped from rooftop to roof top, her fans against his blades, she felt her spirits soaring. Still something was off. Obviously he wasn't trying to kill her, just as she was not trying to kill him, but still, something was wrong.

He could fight against a Fire bender, that was certain, but could he handle lightning. She suddenly fired a bolt at him. He did something that was nearly impossible. He redirected it from himself, and towards her. She glanced around looking for the water whore suddenly then stopped herself.

"Zu Zu." She stated.

Azula?" He asked, his voice in familiar tones.

"You are not the Blue Spirit." She stated.

"The one and only." He replied.

"I saw you fight along side him."

"That was Sokka." He replied. Suddenly it all made sense to her. Mai's reaction to her saying she wanted to find the Blue Spirit for Zuko. Sokka's little smile when he wished her luck. They all knew already.

"You lied to me." He stated.

"No, I did not. I was purely truthful with you. You just didn't believe me." She could see the mask shift a little bit on the right side, and she knew her brother's eye was twitching. It brought a smile to Azula's lips.

**Finished**


End file.
